Chapter 421: Call The Professor For Me!
All the sounds in the room, the clacking of the typewriter, the busy tone of the telephone, the whispers, all froze in an instant.
The air seemed to be sucked dry, leaving only a huge silence.
Ben Bradley, this veteran reporter who had experienced countless storms, felt a chill rush from the soles of his feet to his scalp.
He took a deep breath and gestured for Jimmy to hand over the paper bag.
He knew this was no prank; the fear on Jimmy’s face was real.
He took the video tape out of the paper bag; there was no label, no sender information, only a letter V written in marker.
He didn’t hesitate and inserted the video tape into the newsroom’s player.
Everyone’s gaze focused on the screen.
The image shook, as if shot by an amateur photographer in the dark night.
At first it was a blurry black-and-white image, but soon the picture stabilized.
It was a video shot from across the street through a high-powered telescope lens.
In the image, it was exactly Edgar Hoover’s private villa in the suburbs of Washington.
The time stamp showed late at night.
In the video, two black Volga sedans quietly pulled up to the door of Hoover’s villa, and several figures in overcoats got out of the cars.
Their movements were swift and professional, avoiding all surveillance cameras.
Most shocking of all, in the image, one of the figures was unmistakably the ambassador from the Soviet embassy, Dobrynin.
There was even a close-up shot, as if afraid the audience wouldn’t recognize it was Dobrynin.
In the latter half of the video, Soviet people took some things out of the villa.
Then they quickly cleaned up the scene and drove away.
Bradley didn’t make a sound, but his fist was already clenched.
He saw the final scene of the video: a close-up shot of a person lying in a pool of blood, it was Hoover.
The lens quickly pulled back, revealing 8 corpses in the image; they were Hoover’s bodyguards, FBI security personnel.
The playback ended, and the room fell into a deathly silence.
The first to break the silence was Bernstein; like an enraged beast, he slammed the table: “This is impossible! This is a declaration of war! Have the Soviet people gone mad?”
Woodward’s face was deathly pale, his hand trembling as he pointed at the screen: “Hoover, how could he, how dare the Soviet people?”
Bradley ignored their emotions; like an iceberg, his brain was racing.
He knew this video tape was not just a piece of news; it was a nuclear bomb, enough to shatter the fragile balance of the entire Cold War.
“Holy Shit!”
Ben Bradley’s mind held only this one thought.
The veteran media person, editor-in-chief of the Washington Post, encountered such a complex situation, such an inexplicable event, for the first time.
America has many urban legends, with a deep foundation in conspiracy theories.
And V is absolutely the most mysterious and unfathomable among the many conspiracy theories.
Some say he is Soviet KGB, others say he is Native American, some say he has superpowers, others say he received the most rigorous training and is the most elite TG.
In any case, since Hoover’s death, V has absolutely been the thickest dark cloud floating in America’s sky.
Even Hoover, with his heavy protection, met a tragic end; every congressman is trembling in fear.
No one dares to propose a bill targeting V.
Everyone proposes bills to increase their own protection, but no one dares to publicly propose a thorough investigation into V’s identity.
Now, V has appeared again, bringing news comparable to a nuclear bomb.
As a media person, Bradley’s first instinct was not to report it, not to exclusively own this news, but how to cover it up, at this peaceful crossroads.
The freedom of the press, the power of truth, the public’s right to know—all were unimportant now; what mattered was suppressing this news.
Fortunately, Bradley didn’t have to agonize long; the telephone in his office suddenly rang.
That sound was piercing and sharp, breaking the deathly silence in the room.
He glanced at the caller ID; it was the editor-in-chief of Time Magazine, Henry Luce.
Bradley’s heart sank sharply; he knew what this meant.
He took a deep breath and answered the call.
“Henry.” His voice was a bit hoarse.
On the other end, Luce’s voice sounded even hoarser than usual, carrying a rare fatigue.
“Ben, you got it too?”
This wasn’t a question, but a statement.
Bradley knew they were now on the same boat.
“Yes, Henry. Just received it.” Bradley replied.
“Did you watch it?”
“Yes.”
Silence fell on both ends of the phone; this was a silent confirmation between two news giants of a disaster beyond words.
“As expected, V sent it to everyone; this matter can’t be hidden.” Luce finally spoke, his voice filled with sorrow.
Bradley didn’t answer immediately.
He walked to the window, looking at the calm street scene outside; he thought of his mission, the principles he had always believed in.
He also thought of those innocent lives, and how war would be reignited by this video tape.
“We have no choice.” Bradley regained his calm.
Luce repeated: “We have no choice.”
After hanging up, Bradley returned to work mode; since it couldn’t be hidden, give the public the truth.
“Howard,” he pointed at Simmons, “immediately contact our sources, everyone in Washington we can reach; I want to know everything that happened at Hoover’s villa, no detail overlooked.”
“Woodward, go with Bernstein and write the content of this video tape into a front-page story.
The wording must be absolutely precise, not a single word superfluous.
I want the rawest facts, no analysis, no guess.
“And you, Jimmy,” Bradley’s gaze returned to the pale intern, “hand this paper bag, this video tape, and all our fingerprints to the FBI; we can’t possess this alone.”
The reporters from the major papers were still in chaos.
Everyone realized the impact this would have on the situation; could the Cold War stay cold?
And wondering if the Soviet people had gone mad?
The Soviet ambassador personally led the team, driving Volga cars, and killed an American senior official.
Hoover was an absolute power figure; even after stepping down from the FBI director position, he still held enormous authority, evident from the 8 security personnel.
Worse still, you did it and got filmed.
Even your faces were recorded, trying to shift the blame to V.
Background: The gun was taken from the Soviet people, and Lin Ran left a big V at the scene.
An unassuming independent news agency named United News was the first to release a short but explosive report: “Edgar Hoover, killed by Soviet hands?”
This unverified report was like a spark falling into a dry powder keg.
When United News’s report spread over the airwaves, the entire American media world fell into unprecedented chaos.
The newsrooms of major media instantly boiled over. Reporters who didn’t get the video tape frantically called the Washington Post, Time Magazine, and other giant companies for verification, but received only silence. This silence itself became a confirmation.
Mainstream media headlines shifted instantly from discussing “dawn of peace” to “ghost of war”.
The New York Times’s front-page headline became “Hoover’s Death: Shadow over Peace Process”, worded cautiously but filled with questions about the truth between the lines.
The Los Angeles Times was more aggressive, directly questioning in its editorial: “Is this Moscow’s ultimatum? How will Washington respond?”
Local tabloids unabashedly stirred American emotions, with the headline boldly stating “Soviet blood debt must be repaid in blood!”
Television stations repeatedly played that video tape.
The entire nation’s mood shifted rapidly from longing for peace to anger, fear, and desire for revenge.
Anti-war march crowds were replaced by calls to “declare war on the Soviet Union”.
“What a terrible day.” Jenny was in a bad mood; yesterday she was excited about the peace brought by the professor, today she was worried about Earth’s tomorrow.
She had already smelled the flavor of war on the verge of breaking out, and this time it wasn’t a simple war, but an unprecedented one.
“I believe the White House will show restraint.” Lin Ran said softly.
Jenny shook her head: “No, professor, you don’t know, although I deeply despise many of Hoover’s actions.
But he is absolutely a legendary figure in American political circles, and a symbolic existence.
His mysterious death, confirmed as Soviet doing, will trigger a massive domestic political earthquake.
Anti-communist hawks will immediately exploit this event, portraying peace talks as weakness toward the Soviet Union.
They will demand tough retaliation against the Soviet Union, and the continuation of the Vietnam War will become a direct means to pressure the Soviet Union.
War profiteers like John Morgan will push from behind to keep the war going.
Hoover’s death will be propagandized as the Soviet Union’s blatant violation of American sovereignty and a direct escalation of the Cold War.
Public opinion will shift rapidly from craving peace to supporting military action against the Soviet Union and its allies.
This is an enormous event that cannot be ignored.
The White House, no matter how much it wants peace, no matter how much it wants to stop the war, can’t do it.
Any peace agreement reached with North Vietnam will become politically unacceptable.
The White House will have to abandon or at least indefinitely postpone peace talks.
Because simply put, North Vietnam is the Soviet Union’s ally.”
On the television, the re-established police cordon outside Hoover’s villa, while media reports depicted Soviet people as assassins infiltrating America’s heart.
Jenny stared at the TV image, saying sadly: “President Nixon will face the same dilemma as President Lyndon Johnson.
His famous madman theory is based on deterrence against the Soviet Union.
The Soviet Union has taken such a bold action; Nixon will face a dilemma: either take real action, leading to total war; or be seen as bluffing, thereby losing political capital.”
Madman theory: Make the Soviet Union think he is willing to take any action, including nuclear strikes.
And the Soviet Union publicly executed your Hoover, with the ambassador personally leading the execution; what can you do? What do you dare do?
The madman theory has failed; for Nixon, this is the beginning of the destruction of his credibility.
Late at night, the telephone bell in the Kremlin broke the tranquility.
On Leonard’s desk, the telephone’s red light flashed incessantly.
After answering, the earpiece transmitted the urgent and chaotic voice of Ambassador Dobrynin in Washington.
“Comrade Leonard, the situation is out of control! Hoover is dead, our embassy is surrounded by the FBI.
We are accused of doing it!
V set a trap for us!”
Dobrynin’s voice sounded on the verge of collapse.
Leonard’s brows furrowed, his face as gloomy as the sky before a storm.
“What Hoover? What surrounded? Explain clearly!”
Dobrynin incoherently reported the events.
On the other end of the phone, Leonard fell silent.
Of course he knew of “V”‘s existence; the Soviet Union’s control over Hoover was entirely due to V.
They had always wanted to find V too.
“You idiot!” Leonard roared, “No matter the reason, you appeared at the crime scene! You’ve created a massive handle for yourself, for our entire country!”
Actually, Dobrynin had reported this to him via diplomatic letter at the time; his anger was because they actually got filmed.
What he couldn’t understand most was, your face got filmed?
Wasn’t it night? Wasn’t it late night? Wasn’t it pitch black?
He ordered Dobrynin to deny the accusations at all costs and shift all responsibility to internal American power struggles.
Leonard knew now was not the time to admit the truth, because it would immediately ignite an uncontrollable total war.
Washington, White House, Nixon and Kissinger were discussing the final details of the peace agreement in the Oval Office; the atmosphere was quite relaxed—Johnson couldn’t do it, but I will achieve it as soon as I take office.
I take office, end the Vietnam War in 24 hours; Nixon already regretted not campaigning on such a slogan.
Suddenly, Security Committee officials burst in, their faces filled with shock and fear.
“Mr. President, something huge has happened,” one official said breathlessly, “Hoover was killed by Soviet people! V’s video tape clearly recorded Dobrynin’s face.”
Nixon and Kissinger’s faces instantly turned pale.
They saw that video tape and the footage of the Soviet embassy group heading to the scene.
Various possibilities instantly flashed in Kissinger’s mind.
Why?
Why was it revealed right at this moment when the peace agreement was about to be signed?
Who exactly is V?
Now he didn’t think V was Soviet; the Soviet people wouldn’t want the war to continue.
Kissinger knew the peace agreement couldn’t be signed; the Vietnam War would continue.
Nixon’s face was grim because he still remembered the recent Hoover killing, with protesters surrounding the White House outside shouting “Johnson step down.”
Now if he continued appeasement, they would shout for Nixon to step down outside.
“Get the professor for me.”
At this critical moment, Nixon chose to trust Lin Ran over Kissinger.
